Optical fibers are now used extensively in optical transmission systems. Such fibers usually include a core through which light is propagated surrounded by a cladding having a lower index of refraction than the core. The cladding, in turn, is usually surrounded by an acrylate coating for protection of the fiber. In many components, such as Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) filters, optical attenuators, and optical taps, the fibers are contained in terminations which may include 2 or more fibers inside a ferrule. The protective coating is typically stripped off the fibers at one end of the termination.
The positioning of the fibers in the ferrule can cause undue stress and result in breakage of one or more fibers. This is due at least in part to the fact that the stripped portions of the fibers are brought closer together than the coated portions resulting in an S-shaped bend where stress can be concentrated. For example, a typical core-to-core spacing for the coated portions is approximately 250 microns, while the spacing for the stripped portions is approximately 125 microns.